There are two main reasons why monsters from lower floors would move up to higher floors:
First, they chase adventurers who escape to the upper floors.
Second, when the lowest floor becomes overcrowded with newly spawned, stronger monsters, they push the older, weaker ones up to higher floors.
This creates a chain reaction, with monsters continuously pushing each other upward.
Monsters that are forced to move are particularly irritable and will seek out non-monster living beings in the same dungeon to kill as a way to vent their frustration.
If they don' t find any targets on their floor, they' ll swarm upward, eventually escaping the dungeon entirely.
We call this phenomenon a Dungeon Break.
A Dungeon Break occurs when all monsters, except the boss of the lowest floor tasked with guarding the dungeon' s core, pour out to slaughter every living thing they encounter.
If no one can stop or defeat them, these monsters will evolve into beasts.
This leads to catastrophe. Even just one or two escaping is terrifying, but if an entire dungeon' s worth of monsters escapes and evolves into beasts, they will form colonies and armies, then invade all living things.
*****
Laswin, Rank A Adventurer, known as the Raging Gale
I unleash ten wind drills, bombarding the horde of monsters.
Then I create ten more, firing them at everything to destroy the dungeon' s walls and barriers.
This only buys time, as the dungeon will soon repair itself and restore this floor to its original state.
I quickly dash out of here.
Upon reaching the secret entrance, I turn back and create a massive dark wind drill, firing it to obliterate the path.
The dark wind drill destroys everything from the secret entrance to the dungeon' s front.
This, too, only buys time.
I charge forward, creating five more wind drills and firing them outward.
The wind drills whirl chaotically, grinding and tearing through everything in the old sewer tunnel until the walls collapse, sealing the path.
Meanwhile, I use the wind to propel myself forward.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion and clouds of dust erupt, startling Calika and the others.
With no time to explain, I shout for Calika to flee immediately, promising to take responsibility for finding her missing sister in the slums.
Fortunately, Calika has found a clue that her sister was taken out of the slums.
So, I change plans and head to report at the main office in the inner city, planning to help Calika afterward.
But before I leave, I summon a wind orb at the entrance of the old sewer tunnel. Having been used continuously without recharging mana, it has shrunk significantly.
After infusing it with mana to restore its size, I leave it to attack anything emerging from the sewer.
I launch myself into the sky to avoid impacting the ground, cloaking myself in black wind.
I compress the wind behind me before unleashing its power.
BRRRR! WHOOSH!
My body rockets toward the inner city at supersonic speed.
*****
Calika Nehu
BRRRR! WHOOSH!
The deafening sound Laswin creates forces me and everyone to cover our ears. Even from such a height, the gusts reach the ground, knocking me back.
He' s even faster than when he came to save me. Soon, I see a tiny black streak of wind in the sky, no bigger than an ant.
I don' t know what' s happening, but if someone as powerful as Laswin is this alarmed, it must be incredibly dangerous.
I order everyone to flee the slums immediately. If we encounter anyone, we shout warnings not to go near the old sewer and to escape the slums now.
Some believe us, others don' t.
For those who don' t, I let them be. I have no time to explain, as I don' t even know where Elda has been taken.
Since we don' t need to search, we save time. As our group grows larger, no one dares to challenge us.
Most of the dangerous individuals and threatening groups have likely been dealt with, so we face no conflicts along the way.
For any slaves too weak or unable to run, the ice soldiers carry them.
Initially, I planned to head straight for the exit, but the ice soldiers seem to be veering off course.
They must have a reason, so I don' t object and follow their lead.
After some time, we finally escape the slums.
As our group enters the inner city, we head straight for the gate. Along the way, citizens and adventurers panic at the sight of our large group.
Halfway there, we' re stopped by a battalion of soldiers and adventurers blocking our path.
The reason is simple: we' re leading a large group of armed slaves from the slums, so they assume we' re planning some kind of terrorist act.
But it would be different if we were a guild or a noble family—they' d let us pass easily.
"Who is the leader of this group?! What are slaves like you doing in the city?!"
A man in full armor dismounts his horse, gripping his sword tightly. I step forward to take charge.
"I' m the leader of this group. Why are you stopping us?"
Seeing my attire as the group' s leader, he agrees to negotiate.
"May I have your name, miss? Which family are you from?"
"I' m from the Rozak family."
Short and simple. With just that sentence, the commander, who was about to question where I was taking these slaves and what we were doing, immediately shuts his mouth and orders his men to clear the way.
"Open the path now! You lot, return to your patrols! You others, get back to work! There' s nothing to see here! Inform everyone there' s no cause for concern—this group' s leader is just taking them to a dungeon!"
He speaks sternly to his subordinates and casually to the adventurers, giving a plausible excuse to diffuse the situation.
Then he quickly bows to me.
"I deeply apologize for my rudeness toward you, miss—"
The commander quickly covers his mouth before finishing, assuming I' m wearing a mask to conceal my identity.
We' ll deal with why he believed me so easily later. For now, Elda comes first.
"May I ask something?"
"Ask anything you' d like."
I describe the merchant who took Elda, asking if he' s seen him, where he is now, or which direction he went.
"That merchant left the city a while ago."
"Which route did he take?"
"The main road around the mountain to Barex City."
"Then we head to the gate! We need to catch that merchant!"
But as we prepare to run again, the commander eagerly interjects with a flattering tone.
"Miss, may I have the honor of serving your family just this once?"
"How so?"
"I command a cavalry unit. I can order them to intercept and bring that merchant' s caravan back to the city."
"Then do it! Do it now!"
He responds with enthusiastic vigor.
"It would be my greatest honor!"
He immediately mounts his horse and rides off.
Meanwhile, I still lead everyone to the gate to search for the merchant' s caravan.
I don' t know how much he can help, so I need to rely on myself as a backup.
At the gate, the soldiers who stopped me earlier have already informed the gate guards.
They only check everyone' s faces to ensure no one matches wanted posters issued by the authorities.
I' m no exception, as I have no family crest to show.
I briefly lift my mask to show my face before quickly putting it back on.
The gate guards let us pass, their eyes dreamy and dazed.
*****
Rokta Jentia, Commander of the 10th Inner City Security Force, responsible for the area from the slums to the city' s entrance gate
While I was reviewing my subordinates' reports, an urgent knock sounded at the door.
"What' s the matter?"
"Urgent news, sir! A large group of armed slaves, hundreds strong, is marching through the city! Citizens and adventurers are demanding an immediate investigation!"
"Prepare my horse! Order the fifth company and nearby adventurers to intercept them!"
I grab my personal sword and rush out of my office, heading to the assembly yard and mounting the horse my men prepared.
Upon arrival, I order my forces to block the slaves' path.
But after learning it' s the young lady of the Rozak family, I immediately order my men to clear the way and disperse.
I explain that this group of slaves is being taken to a dungeon, calming the citizens and adventurers in the city.
As a noble, I know the young lady of the Rozak family often hides her face when traveling.
Rumors say it' s not because she' s unattractive, but because her beauty is so captivating that no one can look away, even though she' s only 10 years old.
Combined with the Rozak family' s immense power and influence, she' s a target for many families, both for marriage proposals and as a hostage for leverage.
The Rozak family has hired many girls of similar age, build, hair color, and mannerisms to act as decoys.
Whenever Lady Forsythia goes out, she and her decoys wear masks and scatter in different directions to reduce the risk of kidnapping.
As a result, no one has seen her face in the past five years.
Even if this young lady is a decoy, she' s still a member of the Rozak family, so I can' t act carelessly.
I should' ve checked for a family crest, but she seemed hurried and anxious. When I learned she was searching for a merchant, I acted.
My informants had reported that the merchant she' s after was secretly trading monster remains from unknown sources.
When they were leaving the city, we searched their caravan thoroughly, but with no evidence of wrongdoing, we couldn' t detain them.
I was suspicious of a black-haired girl they claimed was hired to escort her to another city.
But since her answers matched the merchant' s perfectly, we had no grounds to hold them.
From years of experience, that girl was clearly being coerced into playing along, and the merchants were suspiciously eager to leave the city quickly.
But without evidence, we had to let them go.
Now, the opportunity to catch them has arrived, and I don' t hesitate to assist Lady Forsythia.
If the Rozak family orders their detention or interrogation, the merchants must comply, evidence or not.
If they resist, they can be executed on the spot. That' s the power of a great noble family.
This could earn me the Rozak family' s favor and close this case, so there' s no reason not to seize this chance.
I race back to the barracks and order the cavalry to intercept that caravan immediately.
After assembling the troops, I lead over a hundred cavalrymen to the city gate.
And in that fleeting moment, Lady Forsythia briefly revealed her face.
Even though I saw only half of it, it was the most beautiful face I' d ever seen—far surpassing the rumors.
I shake my head to regain focus. I can swoon after catching the merchant for her.
After waiting for her group of slaves to pass through the gate, I ride up to the gate guards, who are still starry-eyed.
"You all look happy. Fine, take the night shift too."
I leave their groans behind me.
I swear, I' m not jealous that they got to see her full face.